Refreshing Mint
by Kisuru-chan
Summary: Seishirou and Subaru buy ice cream cones on a warm day. Except Subaru loses his ice cream to a certain shikigami, and he is left with an option he did not foresee. Fluff, pining.


**A/N**: Based on CLAMP Twitter icons about Seishirou and Subaru's ice cream date that happened back in May. I was inspired! The tag #あなたのCLAMPはどこから helped 東京 BABYLON trend worldwide. Go to my AO3 version of this story and look at the notes if you want to see direct links to the pictures.

-()-

"I spy ice cream," Seishirou noticed. Before he even was given an answer, he reached in his pocket for his wallet. "Why don't we take a break from our walk and grab some?"

Sure enough, Subaru spotted it. The van sat on the edge of the quiet side street, the man in the window catching sight of them. Subaru glanced between them both, opening his mouth to offer the one thing he could, but Seishirou waved him off dismissively.

"I'll pay," Seishirou said, walking forward.

"I received my paycheck after doing the job for that couple at their apartment. So—"

"Pick what you want, Subaru-kun!" Seishirou chirped, as though he didn't hear him speak.

Exasperated, Subaru's shoulders slumped. He never listened when he promised he would pay. But that was the way Seishirou was; on a "date," he was relentless taking care of him. Brushing it off, he examined the sign of ice cream flavors attached to the van's side.

Coming to a stop next to him, Leone tilted his head at his bemused expression. He didn't mind, though. The colorful streets, strong smells, and loud sounds kept the penguin company while the couple enjoyed their time enjoying the city that Friday afternoon.

"What do you think I should get?" Subaru asked his shikigami, gesturing at the sign.

Leone shrugged nonchalantly at the display. He didn't have recommendations, because he had never sampled any ice cream. Shikigami didn't need to eat human food or try it for any real reason, and the nourishment his master gave him through simple magic was all he needed to survive. But he looked so lost.

Raising his flipper, he diligently pointed at the middle of the menu, nodding his head fiercely. Subaru spotted the indicated pure white cone.

"No objections," Subaru murmured.

Hearing Subaru chose, Seishirou handed off his coins and accepted a cone with two layers. "Are you sure you want vanilla, Subaru-kun?" he asked. "Be a little adventurous, you know? It would be a pity if you didn't live a little!"

Subaru shook his head. "Vanilla is okay."

"As you wish," Seishirou said.

Once the cone was ready, Seishirou placed it in his open palm. For a moment, Subaru was disappointed he couldn't feel the ice cream's coldness penetrate the warmth of his glove, but he pushed that to the back of his mind. It was something Seishirou gave him, for them to share together. Getting back on the road, they trotted down the busy, narrow street.

Subaru grasped the cone around the middle. He was quickly distracted, though, because he watched Seishirou dig in without a shred of restraint. His face colored, fascinated at the older man's clear amusement, with each passing flick of the tongue. He bit into the ice cream and his face exploded in bliss. He swept up the red drips of strawberry cream, turning the cone in his hands for the best angle possible, humming contentedly.

Why did he always look… Subaru didn't know, he was mesmerized to think of a proper word. He didn't want to look away despite himself. Briefly, the color in his face drained when he remembered Hokuto's last jab at him about food ("You're watching Sei-chan eat a banana, Subaru?" Hokuto asked, cackling evilly at his expense) and he wanted to die all over again. But it wasn't that. He simply… liked it when… When Seishirou was happy, he always was.

Throughout the entire dazzling ordeal he left his own ice cream woefully unattended.

Dancing at Subaru's feet, Leone couldn't wait to hurry up and keep waddling on. They had a whole city to search for fun things, after all. But he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening.

Leone stared up at his master's ice cream cone. The vanilla cream glistened under the sunlight, and the penguin's eyes lit up.

Well, he wasn't sure he liked ice cream. Still, it reminded him of a fish's tantalizing white underbelly when it leapt high out of the pond, enticing with its shininess. His master was not eating his ice cream. Again, he was spacing out, but Leone was becoming hungrier. Mmm, fish. Did it taste like fish? His master was lucky he had a friend with a sweet-tooth that brought about this occasion for them both.

And Leone decided he would go for the kill.

Floating up to Subaru's shoulder, Leone plopped down. He wasn't noticed, and the penguin's resolve boldened. Opening his flippers, he clasped the cone around the middle, carefully prying it from Subaru.

The strawberry half was devoured in record time. Strawberry always hit the spot on a warm day! Seishirou knew that as one of the true universal facts. Frowning, he blinked once he saw Leone's determined, predatory look directed at the vanilla cone. Subaru didn't catch whiff of it, but he wasn't about to let him take the ice cream. "Subaru-kun—"

"Maybe you were right," Subaru piped up, jumping in place as they walked down the sidewalk, anxious now that Seishirou was paying attention again and he was back to normal. "Vanilla is playing it safe, isn't it?"

Leone slipped the cone out of hand farther.

"Not a problem, but Subaru-kun—"

"I wish I put more thought into it instead of rushing into it," Subaru continued lamenting. He sighed. "It's not fair to you. And you put so much effort into choosing; I've never even heard of the foreign flavors on the containers you stock in my freezer." He shut his eyes, ashamed of his himself. "I… choose whatever option is easiest because you tell me to."

Struggling to keep himself calm, Seishirou reached towards the shiki. "Your shoul—"

"I don't think about eating like I should, but I… should try different for a change," Subaru said. He pictured Hokuto digging through her wardrobe, throwing outfits on her bed while she picked the right one for a Sunday outing. "Like how Hokuto-chan refuses to wear the same outfit two days in a row. She says it's lazy and boring. People just get used to it."

Subaru should be less internalized—not a one trick ice cream pony, apparently. Seishirou put so much thought into what he did! So it stood, likewise, he should do more than the bare minimum to take adventure of life.

Annoyed it was taking so long, Leone yanked on the cone with all his might. Feeling the tug, Subaru finally was privy to Leone's ploy.

"Leone!" Subaru chastised.

Eureka! Success at its finest. Mission: take the ice cream, complete. Leone hopped off Subaru's shoulder and landed on the ground. He nibbled on the wafer cone, beak opening and closing in delight, snapping the vanilla eagerly. White cream flew everywhere. Leone was mildly upset it didn't taste like a fish in the least bit. But ice cream was still good!

"Mischievous today," Seishirou commented. He missed the chance to teach the little shiki a lesson for interfering. Oh, well. Chuckling on the outside, he couldn't help but grimly slump in frustration on the inside. Honestly, how could the Submerge heir be so clueless? Leone pulled wool over his master's eyes.

Groaning, Subaru wanted to hide behind the nearest pole. He proved he was a klutz right in front of his... Seishirou called this a date, right? He shivered, knowing it was a turn of phrase rather than an actual "date" with them as a couple. Frankly, he was more mortified than usual churning that logic around in his head. They were friends! That was the truth. In seriousness, he wanted to scold his shiki for selfishness and being rash. The pure joy on the penguin's face as the ice cream all but disappeared… He couldn't bring himself to.

"Seishirou-san, I'm sorry."

"No need," Seishirou said. "In any case, since you just confided in me you wanted to try out an exotic flavor…" He held up his cone. "Want to share this scoop? It'll be an honor, sharing with my precious Subaru-kun on our date~"

Subaru inspected the mint chocolate chip. Traces of leftover strawberry mixed with the green. He had to admit it wasn't "exotic" but his chest tightened. Something unfamiliar yet exciting emerged and flowed through his veins, an adrenaline he wanted to release.

"Um…" Subaru laughed nervously. "I can't. It's yours! You bought it for yourself, after all." And it was true. He didn't want to take his ice cream away. He knew how much Seishirou adored the ice cream, and the weather was worth it, so he couldn't be inconsiderate.

"But I insist," Seishirou told him. He lowered the cone towards his face. "We can't be on an ice cream date without any ice cream, no?"

Subaru supposed that was true. But he would be sharing with Seishirou, who had already eaten a generous amount of the ice cream. And his lips had been on top of it; he wasn't as impartial and naïve to innuendos anymore. With the teases Seishirou piled on, Subaru was sure fuel would be added to the fire.

"Small bite, then?" Subaru hesitated, clasping his hands. Seishirou's bit of encouragement was putting the cone close enough to his lips the chill nearly touched his skin. As right as it was wrong, Subaru was entranced. Taking a deep breath, he carefully licked the edge, tongue scooping up a cluster of chocolate chips clumped on the cone's left side.

To Subaru, the blast of mint was refreshing. Chocolate was a favorite of Seishirou's, but he was enamored each time he slowly chewed and savored the extra sweet taste for himself. Seishirou would still eat from the same cone. They both ate from it. He felt dizzy, now.

"What do you think of it?" Seishirou asked.

It was almost as if, under the warm Tokyo weather, the temperature dropped. Sunlight glinted off the rim of Seishirou's glasses, and the corners of his mouth (coated in bright red, Subaru noted dully) curled thoughtfully for a reaction. Intensely, he glowered at him, not a single twitch. In any other context, he might have been menacing. Subaru, grinning goofily without reason, swallowed the chocolate bits.

"Vanilla doesn't compare," Subaru said. No, he wasn't talking about ice cream anymore.


End file.
